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Leeds are flying high in the Championship but are seemingly set to lose Taylor at some stage.

With three of Leeds' best performers this season currently on loan at Elland Road, many supporters may feel that getting Hadi Sacko, Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley signed permanently should be Garry Monk's main priority during the January transfer window, but there is another piece of business that should be very high on his list of priorities.

Charlie Taylor looks destined to leave Leeds in the near future. The Telegraph reports that he is out of contract at the end of the campaign, and West Brom may test the Championship side's resolve with a £4m bid.

Leeds United's Charlie Taylor in action

And while a January sale would evoke memories of Sam Byram's departure last winter, and thus, some may assume that it could possibly happen, the side's success under Monk means that the head coach needs to dig his heels in and keep hold of the left-back until the summer.

Unlike last season, Leeds are currently in play-off contention - they sit sixth in the table - so while it maybe made sense to cash in on Byram last year, it makes more sense this time around for the Peacocks to hold on to Taylor.

Leeds United manager Garry Monk

After a slow start, the 23-year-old has found some excellent form in recent weeks and looks much more like the player who was so influential last term.

Tyler Denton and Gaetano Berardi can also play at left-back but both men have struggled with injuries in recent times, so it seems unlikely that they will initially be able to provide the balance to the back four that Taylor has done.

Selling the academy graduate could therefore harm Leeds' hopes of remaining in promotion contention beyond January, especially as it will be extremely difficult to sign anything like an adequate replacement in that window.

And while Taylor's departure looks almost inevitable currently, perhaps there is an outside chance that a promotion to the top flight could be exactly what Monk needs to persuade the youngster to consider surprising everyone by signing a new deal.